Joseph Alleine (1634 – 1668)
English Puritan Nonconformist pastor and author of many religious works.
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"...with the true convert, holiness is woven into all his powers, principles, and practice."
The sound convert takes a whole Christ, and takes Him for all intents and purposes, without exceptions, without limitations, without reserves. He is willing to have Christ, upon His own terms, upon any terms. He is willing to bear the dominion of Christ as well as have deliverance by Christ. He saith with Paul, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?"
There is no entering into heaven but by the straight passage of the second birth; without holiness you shall never see God (Hebrews 12:14). Therefore give yourselves unto the Lord now. Set yourselves to seek Him now. Set up the Lord Jesus in your hearts, and set Him up in your houses. Kiss the Son (Psalm 2:12) and embrace the tenders of mercy; touch His sceptre and live; for why will ye die? I do not beg for myself, but would have you happy: this is the prize I run for. My soul's desire and prayer for you is, that you may be saved (Romans 10:1).
In every sound convert the judgment is brought to approve of the laws and ways of Christ, and subscribe to them as most righteous and reasonable; the desire of the heart is to know the whole mind of Christ; the free and resolved choice of the heart is determined for the ways of Christ, before all the pleasures of sin, and prosperities of the world; it is the daily care of his life to walk with God.
Converting grace puts God on the throne, and the world at His footstool; Christ in the heart, and the world under Hisfeet.
"...whatever... you pretend... if any of you be a prayerless person, or a scoffer, or a lover of evil company (Proverbs 13:20), in a word, if you are not a holy, strict, and self-denying Christian, you cannot be saved." (Hebrews 12:14; Matthew 15:14).
Woe unto thee if after all thy profession thou shouldst be found under the power of ignorance, lost in formality, drowned in earthly-mindedness, envenomed with malice, exalted in an opinion of thine own righteousness, leavened with hypocrisy and carnal ends in God's service.
A man may as well hew marble without tools, or paint without colors or instruments, or build without materials, as perform any acceptable service without the graces of the Spirit, which are both the materials and instruments in the work.
"The unsound convert takes Christ by halves. He is all for the salvation of Christ, but is not for sanctification. He is for the privileges, but does not appropriate the person of Christ."
There is no remedy, but you must either turn or burn.
While we keep aloof in general statements, there is little fruit to be expected; it is the hand-fight that does execution.
A man may as certainly miscarry by his seeming righteousness and supposed graces, as by gross sins; and that is, when a man doth trust in these as his righteousness before God, for the satisfying His justice, appeasing His wrath, procuring His favor, and obtaining his own pardon.
Though sin may be in the Christian, yet it hath no more dominion over him; he hath an unfeigned respect to all God's commandments, making conscience even of little sins and little duties.
"Christ does not control his subjects by force, but is King of a willing people. They are, through His grace, freely devoted to His service."
Two sorts of peace are more to be dreaded than all the troubles in the world — peace with sin, and peace in sin.
The Lord Jesus Christ would have the whole world to know, that though He pardons sin, He will not protect it.
There is no surer evidence of an unconverted state than to have the things of the world uppermost in our aim, love, and estimation.
If thy hope be any thing worth, it will purify thee from thy sins.
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